Loader



E. c. PRATT Sept 16 9 392% LOADER Original Filed t. 1. 1921 3 sheets-sheet 1 fa e aftbv-negs E' C. PRATT Sept 16 p 392% LOAD-EH s Sheets-Sham 2 Original Fi led Oct. 1, 1921 Patented Sept. 16, 1924.

UNITED 'STAES 1 1,508,856" PATENT oFr cE.

I 113N151 OHESLEY PRATT, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

LOADER.

Application filed October 1, 1921, Serial No. 504,544. Renewed August 4, 1924.

To all whom it may concern. 1

Be it known that I, Emvns'r CHEsLEr PRATT, a citizen of the United States, residing in Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and useful Loader, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in loaders.

In mining and other projects, where it is necessary to pick up and convey material from a recedin source toa given point of delivery, consi erable labor, equipment and rehandling of the product is ordlnarily-required. Broadly, it is my object to provide a durable,. compact, self-propelled loader,

easily steered and adapted to pick up loads 'Sa1d shovel has only a bottom 23 and said of coal or other material, store, temporarily, a number of such loads and finally discharge the accumulated load.

More particularly it is my object to supply a device of this kind including a power driven truck carrying a hopper and a shovel,

the shovel being adapted to be lifted from the ground to position for discharging its loads into the hopper, the hopper being supplied with a carrier for distributing therein the loadsfrom'said shovel, also for ejecting the contents of the hopper.

view, which will appear in the following description, the invention resides in the novel combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed.'

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a device embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof; Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view taken on .the line 4-4 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a similar view taken on the line 5 -5 of Fig. 1 and Fig. 6' is a fragmentary view, in elevation, illustrating particularly the driving mechanism beneath the rear of the hopper.

Referring to the drawings, it will be observed that my improvement includes a truck A, a hopper B and a shovel C. The truck A comprlses a pair-of endless treads 10, a truck frame 11, a source of power 12, preferably an electric motor, suitable ower transmitting mechanism (not shown hetween the motor and treads 10, forwardand reverse control levers 13 and 14, and

. steering levers 15 and 16 for holding the With the foregoing and other objects in .recting the truck and pushing the shovel I into the material to be loaded, is elevated by operating the shovel C includes .a transtread members, all of usual construction. This type of truck is powerful, easily steered and of minimum height and is employed in preference to other types of trucks-topmvide a loader readily maneuvered and limited in elevation. The hopper B is carried upon the truck frame 11 and consists of a forwardly sloping floor 17 having sides 18. Said floor reaches beyond the forward ends of the truck treads 10 and overhangs said treads at the rear thereof. Inclined shovel guides 19 on the forward margins of i the hopper sides 18 curve downward at their lower ends approaching vertical positions. Ways 20 in theguides 19 receive spaced supporting rollers 21.journaled upon therear margins of the sides 22 of the shovel C.

crossing from one guide 19 to the other. A

distributing and ejecting carrier D movably mounted on the bottom 17 of the hopper B and reciprocated, as will soon appear, includes an upright pusher wall 25 and a closure plate 26 inclined downwardly and forward y fromthe upper edge of said wall, the inclination of said plate 26 corresponding with the slope of the upper reaches of the shovel guides 19. In the foremost position of the carrier D (dotted lines, Fig. 3), the plate 26 supplies a continuation of the'closure plate 24, said plates operating together to close the rear of the shovel C, until the same reaches discharging position above the 'upper edge of the pusher wall 25' (dotted lines Fig. 3). The shovel O, filled by dipower and allowed to fall by gravity. The distributing and ejecting carried D is driven backward and forward in the hopper B, the

backward movement being caused by an .at-"

tendant in pressing upon the pedal 27, the forward movement being initiated and arrested automatically. The mechanism for verse power shaft 28, journaled in the truck frame 11 and driven through meshing gears 30 and 31, the former being fixed to said shaft 28 and the latter fixed on a shaft 32 propelled from the motor 12. The outer extremities of said shaft'28 are with spur gears 33 and 34. The spur gear 33 meshes with a gear 35 loosely mounted u on a drum shaft 36, said ear being supp ied with ordinary clutc plates (not shown) for clutchin the same to said shaft 36. A shifter yoke 3 for said. clutch mechanism, tiltably supported upon the truck frame 11, is thrown in plate engaging direction by an arm 38, which is depressed following a thrust upon a pedal 39, the connecting means between said pedal and arm 38 including a supporting sleeve 40, revoluble upon the pedal shaft 41, a rock-shaft 42, a link 43 joining arms 44 and 45 on said sleeve 40 and rock-shaft 42, and a finger 46 on said rock-shaft. Drums 47 on the drum shaft 36 wind in cables 48 extending from said drums 47, over idler sheaves 49, to anchor plates 50 on the sides 22 of the shovel C. By pressing upon the pedal 39, the cables 48 are wound in upon the drums 47, thus lifting the shovel O in its guides 19. Bumpers 51 on the shovel G strike yielding stops 52 at the extreme upper limit of said shovel, said stops each comprising a pin 53, slidable endwise in bosses 54, on a guide 19., said pin 53 having an abutment 55 to engage the lower boss 54 and an encircling spring 56 interposed between said abutment 55 and the upper boss 54. After elevating the shovel 0, its contents is emptied, by gravity into the hopper B, over the upper edge of the pusher wall 25 of the carrier D. During the discharge of the bucket contents into the hopper B, only sufficient pressure upon the pedal 39 is maintained to hold the buck et C elevated. After the bucket has been emptied the. pressure upon said pedal 39 is diminished, whereupon the-bucket 0 falls to filling position, the speed thereof depending upon the pressureapp-lied to said pedal 39 and the consequent frictional force exerted between the clutch plates within the gear 35. In addition to the'pusher wall 25and closure plate 26 above described, the carrier D includes side walls 57, each wall having spaced rollers 58 journaled thereon and adapted to travel in the opposed hannels or tracks 59 formed/between the orizontal flanges of'angle irons 60 secured to the hopper walls 18 at the bottom of the hopper B. Lugs 61 reaching from the sides 57 of the carrier D project through slots 62 formed in the hopper walls 18. Each slot is covered from the outside with a guard 63. These guards receive the upper reaches of endless chains 64, carried at their forward turns on idler sprockets 66 and at their rear turns on driving sprockets 67 fixed upon stub shafts 69 journaled at their inner ends in bearings 71 on the hopper walls 18 and at their outer ends in brackets 72 an- Qhored to the walls 18. These stub shafts 69 are propelled from the power shaft 28 through a clutch shaft 73. At the ends of mosses said clutch shaft are fixed sprocket wheels 74, and loose gears 76 and 77, the former being joined through sprocket chains 78 with sprockets 80, fixed upon the stud shafts 69. The loose gears 76, 77.include clutch members 82, 83 (Fig. 5) adapted to be clutched by companion members 84, 85 slidable upon extremities of the clutch shaft 73, but held against rotation thereon. Said loose gear 76 meshes directly with and is driven by the gear 33 on the power shaft 28, while the loose gear 77 meshes with and is driven through an idler gear 86, meshed with the gear 34 on the power shaft 28. Shifter arms 87 pivoted medially upon the clutch members 84, 85 are fulcrumed at their upper ends in brackets 88, the lower ends of said shifter arms 87 being joined by a link 89 of such length that both clutch members 84, 85 may be disengaged from their companion members 82, 83. A spring 90 held at one end as at 91 andattached to the link 89 at its other .end yieldingly engages the clutch set 85, 83. A trip lever 92 (top Fig. 5), shifts said link 89 against the action of said spring 90 to disengage the clutch set 85, 83. Pressing the pedal 27 engages theclutch. set 84, 82. Said pedal 27- is fixed to the pedal shaft 41, said shaft having an arm 93v thereon connected through a link- 94 with an arm 95 on a rock-shaft 96. This rock-shaft reaches longitudinally beneath the hopper B, the rear'extremity thereof carrying an arm 97, the free end of which is pivoted on a pin 98 in the link 89 (Fig. 6). of the rock-shaft 96 is supplied with an arm 99 joined through a link 100 with the arm 101 of the stop lever 92, said lever being pivotally mountedbeneath the floor 17 of the hopper B. The upwardly curved arm 102 of said lever 92 passes through a slot 103 in. said floor, said arm being adapted to be engaged by the lower edge of the closure plate 26 on the carrier D and depressed thereby in the carriers foremost position. A catch 104 (Fig. 3) on the extremity of said arm 102 is arranged to engage said edge of said plate and thereby arrest the movement of the carrier at its forward limit. Pressing upon the pedal 27 engages the clutch set 84, 82 and results in driving the chains 64 in a direction moving the carrier D rearward. Releasing the pressure upon this pedal at any point in the travel of said carrier is followed by the disengagement of the clutch set 84, 82 and the engagement .of the clutch set 85, 83 by the action of the spring 90, whereupon the carrier D is driven forward through the chains 64. The. actuation of the trip lever 92, by the carrier D at the end of its forward throw, disenga es the clutch set 85, 83, this disengagement eing brought about through the swinging of the link 89 a'suficient distance against the action of the spring 96 to The forward end tion. Releasing said pedal 39 separate the clutch members 83, 85, but not far enough to engage the clutch members 84,

From the foregoing it will be understood that an operator, seated onthe seat 105, may advance, reverse, and turn the loader by manipulating the usual truck levers 13, 14, 15 and 16 to force the shovel G into the ma.-

terial to be moved and to locate the rear of V pusher wall 25 of the carrier D, which has been previously shifted into foremost posipermits the shovel C to fall back into receivlng position atthe lower ends of the guides 19. While the shovel C is being reloaded, the pedal 27 is pressedforward and so held against the action of the spring 90, until the first shovel load has been pushed to the rear of the hopper B by the carrier D. Releasing sa1d pedal 27 permits the spring 90 to act, whereby the travel of the carrier D is reversed and continued until said carrier reaches foremost position, where it strikes the arm 102 of the trip lever 92. The actuation of said lever, as above explained, arrests the reversed movement of said carrier. It will thus be seen that the shovel loads may be distributed in the hopper B one after the other until the hopper is filled, the distributing operation continuing while new loads are being picked up by the shovel C. When the hopper B is full, the loader may be backed to the place of delivery such as a car, conveyor or chute, and the contents of the hopper emptied therein by a complete rearward thrust of the carrier D,

Changes in the specific form of my invention, as herein disclosed, may be made withinthe scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and'desire to protect by Letters Patent is: f

-1. In a device of portable hopper, a shovel adapted to discharge'loads into the forward end thereof, a distributing and ejecting carrier shiftable back and forth between the forward andrear ends of said hopper, a source of power including a power shaft, a clutch shaft conhected with and adapted to reciprocate the carrier, a. pair of clutch sets on the clutch shaft having oppositely rotatable driving members geared with the power shaft and connected driven members slidable oppositely on said clutch shaft, a spring to engage the members of one clutch set, whereby the carrier is moved forward in the hopper means controlled by an operator for disen- -1. v the class described, a.

gaging said clutch set and engaging the second clutch set against the action of said spring, whereby the carrier is shifted toward the rear of the hopper, anda stop, engageableby the carrier at its foremost limit, said stop being adapted to disengage the first clutch set against the action of said spring without engag ng the second clutch set.

2. In, a device of the class described, a portable hopper, a shovel adapted to discharge loads into one end of saidhopper, a

distributing and ejecting carrier movable back and forth in the hopper, a source of' power including a power shaft, a clutch shaft connected with and adapted to drive the carrier, a pair of clutch sets geared to the'power shaft, said clutch sets being severally engageable to cause the rotation of the clutch shaft in opposite directions and simultaneously disengageable to free the clutch shaft from the power shaft, yielding means to engage one clutch set, devices controlled by an operator for disengaging said clutch set and engaging the second clutch set and a stop actuated by the carrier to disengage said first clutch set.

3. The combination with a truck having a source of power for propelling thesame, of an open ended shovel carried by the truck and movable up and down between lowermost receiving position to elevated position of discharge, an open ended hopper also carried by the truck and arranged to receive materials emptied from said shovel, a reciprocable carrier within the hopper having a v closure wall for said shovel over which the contents of the shovel is discharged, and

means associated with the source of power for elevating the shovel and reciprocating said carrier.

4. In a device of the class described, a movably supported hopper and shovel, said shovel being adapted to discharge its loads into the hopper at the front end thereof, a

carrier within the hopper and power driven mechanism for reciprocating the same, said mechanism including a control device adapted to be shifted and held by an attendant to start and maintain to rearward throw of the carrier, -means automatically rendered effective upon the release of said control device for reversing the throw of the carrier and a stop adapted to'automatically arrest the return throw of the carrier at its foremost extremity.-

5. In a device of the class described, a movably supported hopper open at the back, a shovel adaptedto be elevated from receiving position to discharge its loads'into. the front of the hopper, a dlstributing and ejecting carrier within the hopper, driving mechanism for reciprocating the carrier,

said mechanism including means ada ted to be operated and held by an atten ant to cause the earner-to move rearwardly and continue such movement toward the discharge end of the hopper, and means operated automatically, when said first men tioned means is released, to cause the carrier to move forward to the receiving end of the pp r- 6. In a device of the class described, a movably supported hopper, a shovel adapted to receive loads and deliver the same into the hopper at the front end thereof, a carrier movable back and forth throughout the length of the hopper, said carrier being adapted to distribute materials in said hopper and to eject the load from the hopper at the rear thereof, and means for elevating the shovel and'reciprocating said carrier.

nee eee 7.l[n a device ofthe class described, a truck, an open ended shovel and a hopper carried by said truck, the hopper being adapted to receive loads at one end thereof from said shovel, a reciprocable carrier Within said hopper for distributing material therein and ejecting the same therefrom, and driving mechanism for propelling the truck, elevating the shovel and reciprocat ing the carrier, said carrier including a pusher Wall and a plate for. closing the shovel at positions thereof beneath the upper edge of said all.

In testimony whereof, l have signed my name to this specification.

ERNEST GHESLEY PRATT. 

